God Says?

Eastbound on Interstate 70 in Indiana, just before the Ohio line, I spotted a billboard. Big yellow letters on a brown background, it would have been hard to miss. It read:

GOD SAYS READ THE BIBLE.

It went by pretty fast and I was busy driving, but I'm fairly sure that the smaller print across the bottom said "Tom Raper Foundation Ft. Lauderdale, Florida." A Google search didn't yield much. There was a piece about a Baptist church that gave away $1000.00 to a random attendee on a given Sunday. The money was provided by the Tom Raper Foundation.

So, I find cash prizes for church attendance questionable and I've always been skeptical about the effectiveness of billboards encouraging things like Bible Reading. Don't take me wrong. I'm in favor of church attendance. And I think everyone should read the Bible. It's lotteries and billboards I question.

The thing is I'm pretty sure God didn't say "Read the Bible." The Tom Raper Foundation said it.



While eating a malted waffle in the motel lobby a few minutes ago, I overheard a woman talking on her cellphone. She was telling someone how God had "knocked to her to floor" and told her "I'm pleased with you but I want you to be more consecrated."

Now I don't know. Maybe God did say "Read your Bible."

Still, I remain skeptical.